Turkey Vultures/Buzzards

Can anyone explain to me why these are federally protected? They are so ugly!! and nasty! I know they tend to only go after dead animals but when hungry enough, they seem to like live ones too. One took off with a baby duckling yesterday and harassed my animals. (three of those buzzards) My chickens were going crazy. The ducklings were free ranging. They are a month old.

I go to look up turkey vultures and I find they are a federally protected animal. I just dont know why. And how did they almost become the nations "bird". Eagles are far prettier and these vultures are on the same level as possums to me lol

All birds except for starlings and house sparrows are protected, in the U.S. Depradation permits can be obtained for certain species, such as crows, cormorants, and blackbirds... but the permit needs to be in hand.

Should we only protect the pretty and cute birds?

Buzzards and vultures keep the countryside clean of dead animals... Yes, they will take live animals, usually the small and helpless, if they can. I see this as a natural process of keeping the gene pool strong... the slow goofy critters get consumed...

I've had free range chickens for almost 8 years now, and if I leave some coon or possum carcass near the barn for a day or two, the buzzards will attempt to eat 'em... usually they get nervous when the horny little banny roosters 'ride em' a little while... One ride from a banny roo and the buzzards don't want no more...

I think it was turkeys, instead of 'turkey vultures' that almost became the nations bird.... Eagles are pretty much scavengers... golden eagles just 'love' any kind of sheep...wild or domestic...they go bonkers over lamb meat...

Ahh yes you do have a good point. I hadn't thought about what the road side would look like if we didn't have these kinds of birds to clean it up. I guess they can go back on me "like" list now. Thank you for putting it that way. It helped me understand there.

Bob, I definately see them a lot. I cannot leave the house and go more than a few miles without seeing a bunch of them soaring in their little flock or whatever they are called. I usually see them soaring above our house several times a day and the last few times they really get close to our yard but yesterday they just had taken it to a new level.

we have several that have been hanging around here as well. they are cleaning up the 12 dead coons that we have got so far down at the rabbit barn. I have been whatching them with the chickens . the chickens run for cover but i dont think the buzzards are here for them. its just good practice for the chickens because we have several red tailed hawks around here as well

we havent had any trouble with the hawks, but in the past when they did harass the chickens we just put up a large pole in the barn yard that we could climb easily, kinda like a telephone pole with the steps on it. then on top we set a small foot trap. hawks love to perch and watch for their next victum.

I would not suggest this unless you are sure that hawks or owls are getting your stock because they are also very good for controling rodents and rabbits

My dad was taking the kids out to the wire bridge in New Portland (ME) and their was a turkey vulture eating carion beside the road...well my dad has a nasty neat newish decked out Dodge truck...the bird decided it needed to fly away and couldn't get enoughh "lift" to get over the truck...SOOOO it lightened its load all over the hood of my dads truck and the windows were down :nono: :grump: :flame:

It took him two days to wash it off and the next time he used his wipers he had streaks of vulture puke.....

We were up at Devil's Lake a few years back and I took my kids to hear Luke Woodswalker talk about vultures. My kids LOVED learning that when vultures get really warm they put their wings out and shove their blood down to their legs and then the poop on their legs. The whitewash acts like sweat and they get cool.

Now when my boys tell me they are hot I tell them to poop on their legs. :nerd: :nono: It gets us giggling.

Why won't buzzards eat roadkilled dogs? I see them eat every other roadkill, but have never seen them eat a dog. This thought now makes me worry about the PEOPLE in some Asian countries that eat dog...lol.

Dont have enough in AR to clean up all the dead rotting dear along the HWY (probably because the Ignorant people shot them) I see a few but not near enough.I never heard of one taking live animals before.

I always honk the horn when I see the buzzards feasting in the road. I want them to fly away before they lighten their load or come through my windsheild. I have seem more this year than in the past few years. I wonder if the drought and wildfires have driven out some of their natural food. I am in a small community and have very seldom seen them in town until this year. I bet the heat killing so many animals have brought them in where the pickings are easier.

We have 2 kinds of buzzards around here. The ones with the ugly naked red colored heads, are the true "turkey" vultures. They eat dead things only, and are peacable.

There is also a similar buzzard, but they have black heads instead of red. These are the ones that will attack baby animals sometimes. I know somebody that lost a newborn calf that was born in the field to them. They attacked it before it was even able to stand up.

We were up at Devil's Lake a few years back and I took my kids to hear Luke Woodswalker talk about vultures. My kids LOVED learning that when vultures get really warm they put their wings out and shove their blood down to their legs and then the poop on their legs. The whitewash acts like sweat and they get cool.

Now when my boys tell me they are hot I tell them to poop on their legs. :nerd: :nono: It gets us giggling.